Laws that are protective of the LGBTQ community are also protective of that community's health outcomes. For example, lesbians and gays living in states with employment nondiscrimination laws have better mental health outcomes than those living in states without these same protections. Conversely, laws and policies that discriminate against the LGBTQ community lead to negative health outcomes. Young adults who were raised in states with more discriminatory laws/policies exhibited a blunted cortisol response, which points to chronic stress.